1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to communications gateways, and more particularly to communications gateways and methods of using communications gateways.
2. Description of the Related Art
Communications gateways, such as residential gateways or multimedia gateways, are commonly used for providing Internet or cable access within a structure (e.g., a house, an office building, etc.) or a portion thereof (e.g., an apartment unit within an apartment building). In one embodiment, a coaxial cable can be received at a house and split into a first coaxial cable line that is directed to a set-top box for broadcast programs, a second cable line that is directed to a personal computer for Internet access, and still another line that is directed to an analog telephone (via an adapter). Not all structures have access to services by cable companies. In remote locations, laying coaxial cable for a structure that is over a kilometer away from the nearest house can be quite expensive. Therefore, even though new structures may be internally wired for a plurality of communications media (e.g., telephone, coaxial cables, and CAT5 cable), those new structures may not be able to receive cable service.
Satellite or other wireless media may be used to provide communication services to remote locations. However, satellite and other wireless media can have significantly slower transmission rates, tend to have fluctuations in the quality of service (e.g., because of environmental conditions, e.g., thunderstorms, solar storms, or improperly shielded equipment operating nearly), or a combination thereof. Therefore, although satellite or other wireless media can be used, wireline communications may be preferred.
Within the United States, nearly every structure occupied by humans for a significant portion of most days has one or more telephone lines provided to such structure or portion thereof (e.g., a house, an office building, an apartment, etc.). Within the structure, a plurality of different types of wireline media (e.g., CAT3 cable, coaxial cable, etc.) within the walls of the structure is commonly used to transmit signals from communications service providers throughout portions of the structure. A wireless router can be connected to a wireline medium; however, the wireless transmission using the wireless router may be subject to some of the problems seen with satellites or other wireless medium. Also, the wireless connections may have transmission problems within a structure if a significant amount of metal (e.g., furnace, water heater, etc.), a relatively dense material (e.g., brick, stone, or other masonry), or a significant distance lies between the wireless router and a personal computer or other device that is to be connected to the wireless router.
Skilled artisans appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale.